The Shows Must Go On: The Best TV to Watch This Month

DEPT Q. (Netflix)

Originally set in Copenhagen, Jussi Adler-Olsen’s bestselling series of crime novels get whisked off to Edinburgh by Netlfix who obviously aren’t aware of the old “If it ain’t broke etc. etc” adage. After finally coming to terms with this outrage, we have to say that Matthew Goode is extremely, er, good as the emotionally scarred Detective Carl Morck who heads up the city’s cold case unit. Kelly Macdonald is also her usual brilliant self as the police therapist who has to deal with his considerable foibles.

Dept Q.

MURDERBOT (Apple TV+)

Alexander Skarsgard stars in this comedic sci-fi morality tale about a security cyborg that, having secretly gained free will, is torn between loving and hating the human race. When not wrestling with its AI conscience, the bot in question likes to binge on intergalactic soap operas and ponder life beyond the Corporation Rim zone it inhabits. As in Martha Wells’ source novels, some of Murderbot’s personality traits are code for autism and gender fluidity. Bonkers but brilliant.

Murderbot.

WILD CARDS (Paramount+)

Somewhat overlooked when it debuted in 2022, season 2 of this smart Canadian police procedural has really gripped the imagination on the other side of the Atlantic and will hopefully do the same when it lands here. A spirited con woman and a demoted by-the-book detective continue to seek redemption as they use their very different skills to crack complicated cases. Keep your eyes peeled for Ally Sheedy guesting as a rancher who’s turned bluntness into an art form.

Wild Cards.

PALE MOUNTAINS (Walter Presents strand of Channel4.com)

Bolanzo, an Italian city with a large German-speaking population, is gripped by panic when a serial killer whose victims are all from the latter community resurfaces. Working out the whys and wherefores falls to Eva Kofler, an ambitious young District Attorney whose father investigated the original series of brutal murders. Working alongside her very Italian colleague Paolo Costa, she has to battle not only a vicious killer but also some deeply ingrained cultural prejudices. It’s a bit slow to get going but, when it does, it’s edge of the sofa stuff.

Pale Mountains.